Energy policy in Germany

Energy policy in Germany must be directed towards three goals: Reliable power supply with sufficient power available at any time and everywhere; sustainable energy supply with a minimum of influences on our environment, low-price energy supply for the benefit of the public and of industry. The policy pursued by the present federal government, amen other things proclaiming on opt-out of the peaceful use of nuclear power, and with other ideologically based measures. neglects these goals. The electricity utility sector will be particularly hard hit when more than one third of today's electricity generation from nuclear power plants needs to be substituted. Realistically, this is only possible by importing electricity generated in nuclear power plants from countries around Germany. Opting out of the use of nuclear power also makes our electricity supply more harmful to the climate, as neither renewable energies nor other measures, such as the promotion of cogeneration, will be able to fill the gap. For the electricity markets, it is safe to say that the deregulation initiated is now being increasingly more regulated by various forms of subsidies and special levies on the price of electricity (see eco-tax) and some thinking about quota regulations. All this has negative impacts on the price of electricity. The agreement between the federal government and the utility sector concluded in June 2000 about the operation of nuclear power plants is damaging in the long run although it safeguards the continued operation of these plants for the time being. A high-tech country with research and development capacities still in existence cannot move our of this sector. Any far sighted research, technology and economic policy must take into account the possibility that new nuclear power plants may have to be built worldwide and in Europe in a few years hence.